Oneida County CCE Urges Residents To Avoid Poisonous Plants

Utica, NY (WIBX) – If you plan on spending your time outside this summer, the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County is urging you to know your poisonous plants.

Among those found locally are giant Hogweed, stinging nettles and the ever-present poison ivy.

Giant Hogweed is known for its huge leaves, big flowers and thick green stem. If touched, it can cause serious skin reactions. If you come across this giant flower, alert the New York State Department of Conservation at 1-845-256-3111 or by email at ghogweed@gw.dec.state.ny.us.

Photo provided by Oneida County CCE.

Wild parsnip is usually found along the side of the road and has lime-yellow, umbrella shaped flowers. They are currently in full bloom. Touching them causes blisters and skin discoloration.

Poison ivy is a climbing vine with three leaflets, and contact causes itching and blistering. Its toxins can travel through smoke and may stay active on objects for up to a year.

Other plants on the list include Stinging Nettles and Pigweed. Stinging Nettles have sharp, tiny hairs that inject toxins into the skin, causing pain, swelling and numbness. Pigweed is a non-distinguishable plant among weeds that causes skin blistering.

Questions regarding these plants and others may be directed towards the CCE’s Master Gardeners on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. until noon, at 736-3394.

Welcome back to IBX INCENTIVE CLUB

It appears that you already have an account created within our VIP network of sites on .
To keep your personal information safe, we need to verify that it's really you.
To activate your account, please confirm your password.
When you have confirmed your password, you will be able to log in through Facebook on both sites.

*Please note that your prizes and activities will not be shared between programs within our VIP network.

Welcome back to IBX INCENTIVE CLUB

It appears that you already have an account on this site associated with . To connect your existing account just click on the account activation button below. You will maintain your existing VIP profile. After you do this, you will be able to always log in to http://wibx950.com using your original account information.